The 10 Virginia Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2025


The most African American cities in Virginia are Petersburg and Emporia for 2025 based on Saturday Night Science.

Most African American cities in Virginia research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Virginia’s most recent Census data to determine the blackest cities in Virginia based on the percentage of Black residents. Here are the results of our analysis:

  • The city with the largest African American population in Virginia is Petersburg based on the most recent Census data.

  • Petersburg is 74.56% Black.

  • The least African American city in Virginia is Richlands.

  • Richlands is 0.08% Black.

  • Virginia is 18.4% Black.

  • Virginia is the 9th blackest state in the United States.

Cities With Highest Black Population In Virginia Map


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The Black community is one of the fastest-growing communities in America this decade.

Roughly 42 million people identifying as Black or African American live in the United States, making up 12% of the total population. According to the most recent American Community Survey, the Black population in Virginia is 1,595,267 – at 18.4% of the total population of Virginia.

The percentage growth of Blacks in America is the third largest percentage change for any race according to the Census’s race and ethnicity definition. Most scholars and historians agree that increasing diversity in America is a good thing.

We agree.

But how has the increase in the black population impacted Virginia? Which cities and towns in Virginia have seen the greatest increase in its Black population?

We broke down the most recent census data to determine the cities in Virginia with the largest African American population in 2025:

What’s the blackest city in Virginia? The city with the largest Black population in Virginia for 2025 is Petersburg. See if Petersburg ranked as one of the most african american places in America.

And if you already knew these places were Black, check out the best places to live in Virginia or the most diverse places in Virginia.

The 10 Blackest Cities In Virginia For 2025

1. Petersburg

Petersburg, VA

Source: Wikipedia User Ken Lund from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 33,365
% African American: 74.56%
# Of African American Residents: 24,876
Percent Change Since 2010: -2.69%
More on Petersburg: Data

2. Emporia

Emporia, VA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,633
% African American: 63.57%
# Of African American Residents: 3,581
Percent Change Since 2010: -1.65%
More on Emporia: Data

3. South Boston

South Boston, VA

Source: Wikipedia User Eduardo Montes-Bradley | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 7,896
% African American: 55.65%
# Of African American Residents: 4,394
Percent Change Since 2010: 12.21%
More on South Boston: Data

4. Franklin

Franklin, VA

Source: Wikipedia User FlickreviewR | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 8,212
% African American: 51.68%
# Of African American Residents: 4,244
Percent Change Since 2010: -12.08%
More on Franklin: Data

5. Portsmouth

Portsmouth, VA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 97,299
% African American: 51.16%
# Of African American Residents: 49,782
Percent Change Since 2010: -0.86%
More on Portsmouth: Data

6. Danville

Danville, VA

Source: Wikipedia User Miguel Gereda | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 42,239
% African American: 50.26%
# Of African American Residents: 21,229
Percent Change Since 2010: 0.93%
More on Danville: Data

7. Hampton

Hampton, VA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 137,334
% African American: 47.9%
# Of African American Residents: 65,782
Percent Change Since 2010: -2.6%
More on Hampton: Data

8. Martinsville

Martinsville, VA

Source: Wikipedia User Sleddog116 at en.wikipedia | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 13,584
% African American: 44.2%
# Of African American Residents: 6,004
Percent Change Since 2010: -4.12%
More on Martinsville: Data

9. Richmond

Richmond, VA

Source: Wikipedia User CoredesatChikai | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 227,595
% African American: 41.65%
# Of African American Residents: 94,783
Percent Change Since 2010: -7.69%
More on Richmond: Data

10. Suffolk

Suffolk, VA

Source: Wikipedia User User: Kubigula | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 96,638
% African American: 41.54%
# Of African American Residents: 40,147
Percent Change Since 2010: 17.3%
More on Suffolk: Data

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Virginia With The Largest Black Population For 2025

We still believe in the accuracy of data — especially from the Census. So that’s where we went to get the race breakdown across Virginia.

That leads us to the Census’s most recently available data, the 2019-2023 American Community Survey data from the US Census.

Specifically, we looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:

  • Hispanic or Latino
  • White alone*
  • Black or African American alone*
  • American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
  • Asian alone*
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
  • Some other race alone*
  • Two or more races*
* Not Hispanic or latino

Our particular column of interest was the number of people who identified as Black or African American.

We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people in Virginia. That left us with 60 cities.

We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 74.6% to 0.1%.

Finally, we ranked each city based on the percentage of the Black population, with a higher score being more Black than a lower score. Petersburg took the distinction of being the most Black, while Richlands was the least African American city.

We updated this article for 2025. This is our tenth time ranking the cities in Virginia with the largest African American population.

Read on for more information on how the cities in Virginia ranked by population of African American residents or, for a more general take on diversity in America, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.

Summary: Black Populations Across Virginia

If you’re looking for a breakdown of African American populations across Virginia according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.

The blackest cities in Virginia are Petersburg, Emporia, South Boston, Franklin, Portsmouth, Danville, Hampton, Martinsville, Richmond, and Suffolk.

If you’re curious enough, here are the least African American places in Virginia:

  1. Richlands
  2. Buena Vista
  3. Poquoson

For more Virginia reading, check out:

African American Population By City In Virginia

Rank City Population African American Population % African American
1 Petersburg 33,365 24,876 74.56%
2 Emporia 5,633 3,581 63.57%
3 South Boston 7,896 4,394 55.65%
4 Franklin 8,212 4,244 51.68%
5 Portsmouth 97,299 49,782 51.16%
6 Danville 42,239 21,229 50.26%
7 Hampton 137,334 65,782 47.9%
8 Martinsville 13,584 6,004 44.2%
9 Richmond 227,595 94,783 41.65%
10 Suffolk 96,638 40,147 41.54%
11 Hopewell 22,944 9,443 41.16%
12 Newport News 184,774 74,644 40.4%
13 Norfolk 235,037 91,781 39.05%
14 Chesapeake 251,153 71,677 28.54%
15 Roanoke 98,677 28,099 28.48%
16 Lynchburg 79,255 21,727 27.41%
17 Farmville 7,613 1,886 24.77%
18 Alexandria 156,788 32,396 20.66%
19 Fredericksburg 28,383 5,617 19.79%
20 Big Stone Gap 5,193 1,010 19.45%
21 Ashland 7,667 1,468 19.15%
22 Smithfield 8,729 1,648 18.88%
23 Culpeper 20,437 3,759 18.39%
24 Virginia Beach 457,066 83,839 18.34%
25 Colonial Heights 18,210 3,237 17.78%
26 Charlottesville 45,863 7,716 16.82%
27 Williamsburg 15,564 2,361 15.17%
28 Manassas 42,674 5,287 12.39%
29 Covington 5,671 700 12.34%
30 Waynesboro 22,574 2,482 10.99%
31 Manassas Park 16,923 1,848 10.92%
32 Staunton 25,765 2,586 10.04%
33 Leesburg 48,788 4,848 9.94%
34 Radford 16,505 1,514 9.17%
35 Front Royal 15,152 1,387 9.15%
36 Warrenton 10,151 909 8.95%
37 Winchester 27,981 2,472 8.83%
38 Bluefield 5,016 411 8.19%
39 Herndon 24,529 1,956 7.97%
40 Salem 25,477 1,957 7.68%
41 Harrisonburg 51,492 3,620 7.03%
42 Bristol 17,024 1,136 6.67%
43 Purcellville 8,974 591 6.59%
44 Fairfax 24,478 1,565 6.39%
45 Marion 5,694 355 6.23%
46 Christiansburg 22,820 1,194 5.23%
47 Galax 6,698 327 4.88%
48 Vienna 16,369 796 4.86%
49 Falls Church 14,593 703 4.82%
50 Lexington 7,420 346 4.66%
51 Blacksburg 45,288 1,958 4.32%
52 Pulaski 8,937 386 4.32%
53 Vinton 8,038 344 4.28%
54 Bridgewater 6,650 275 4.14%
55 Abingdon 8,332 304 3.65%
56 Wytheville 8,224 274 3.33%
57 Strasburg 7,162 210 2.93%
58 Poquoson 12,556 209 1.66%
59 Buena Vista 6,612 105 1.59%
60 Richlands 5,188 4 0.08%
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

2 thoughts on “The 10 Virginia Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2025

  1. I am a student at VCU studying Virginia. Mini sources say that more black people than white people are arrested for possession of marijuana. In fact black people are three times more likely to be arrested for simple possession of marijuana. I am asking why. Some say it is because there is a higher presence of police officers and predominately black Neighborhoods. I ask myself why. Some say crime rates are higher in the predominately black neighborhoods. I want some statistics that show me that. I would think if you wanted to commit a crime you would go to the rich neighborhoods where they have silver and gold and other nice things to steal. I am doing research that supports legalizing the adult recreational use of Marijuana. I would like to find out that crime is not the highest and predominately black neighborhoods and that it is the same regardless of the Racial makeup of the neighborhood that you live in. What information do you have that could help me find out this information?

  2. “As most scholars and historians agree, an increase in the diversity in America is a good thing.

    We agree.”

    Is that why the scores get higher the lower the percentage? Lol. Would like to get some of what those ‘scholars’ are smoking.

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